Wedding Gifts
by Jessica314
Summary: Bella and Edward open their wedding gifts on Isle Esme. My first fanfic, fluffy and canon-friendly.
1. Chapter 1

I blinked as the sun burst out from behind the clouds. For most of the day, I had been lounging on the beach, enjoying an afternoon of pure relaxation in the sunshine. I stretched and winced at the sore muscles that reminded me _why_ I was enjoying a day on the beach.

It was now six days into our marriage – and four since Edward had seen the bruises he had caused the night before. He had put our intimate relationship on hold, a decision I still did _not_ agree with. I had spent the rest of the day trying to change his mind – a feat I should have known would be impossible. Once Edward has made up his mind about something, especially about something he feels he did wrong, he's unshakable. I might as well try to convince Charlie to eat broccoli. I had tried everything – from arguing to seduction to childish whining, but Edward wouldn't budge.

Instead, he made it his mission in life to distract me with what he called "island experiences." Personally, I think he really just wanted to wear me out so I wouldn't put up a fight at his platonic good-night kisses. First he insisted we go snorkeling for a couple of hours. This actually was amazing – I had no idea what beautiful sights were hidden just below the surface. Edward had brought fancy snorkel gear that allowed us to speak to each other via radio headsets. He gave me an underwater tour, naming several species of fish and plants. However, I found myself distracted, watching him glide around the reef – I should have known he would look graceful underwater.

When we finally surfaced, we shared a deep kiss and I thought I had won. But I could see him warring with himself, and suddenly he brightened and announced it was time for a hike up to the waterfall. He was already pulling me out of the water, so I had no choice but to go along.

The next few days were a blur of swimming, exploring, canoeing, and just about anything Edward could think of. This morning we had built a sandcastle together – no ordinary sandcastle, of course. While I was digging the moat, my vampire husband was _landscaping_. I had never before seen a sandcastle with a forest surrounding it. Two hours later, a beautiful medieval castle graced our beach, complete with turrets and even a drawbridge – suspended by chains made of woven seaweed.

After the castle was complete, Edward joined me on the blanket to inspect his creation. "It's beautiful, Edward," I said honestly. Was there anything he couldn't do? I was feeling insignificant again…

Edward rubbed his nose on my neck. "Not as beautiful as you, love," he whispered. Then he sat back and stared at me. Anybody else would have thought he looked serene and relaxed, but I knew that look. He was _plotting_ again. "So, I was thinking we might hike up that western hill – the sunset is breathtaking from the top and we could take a picnic dinner. Of course, we'd have to start pretty soon to make it in time…" His voice faded as he saw the look on my face. "What's wrong, Bella? I know it's a long hike, but of course I can carry you if you get tired."

I picked up his hand and laid my head against his shoulder. "Edward," I sighed, "It's a nice idea and I'd love to do it another day. Don't you think it would be nice to just… you know, relax for a while?"

He looked down at me and kissed the top of my head. "All right, sweetheart. What would you like to do?"

"I'd like to do _nothing_ for a change. We've done so much the last few days, I think it would be nice to just chill… on the beach," I added quickly, seeing the suspicion enter his eyes. But his arm fell away from me and I could see it was time to play my trump card. "The truth is, Edward," I said quietly, "I'm actually kind of worn out, and my legs are a little sore from all the sightseeing." I looked up and saw contrition suddenly fall over his features.

"Bella, I'm so sorry! Where are you hurt?" His hands flashed down to my feet, prodding the muscles to locate the injury. "Why didn't you say anything? I have some ibuprofen in my med kit-"

I gently moved his hands away. "It's no big deal. I think I just need to take it easy for today. Please?" I felt a little guilty playing on Edward's overprotective nature, but I wasn't lying. I really _was_ sore and worn out.

Edward's frown deepened. "I shouldn't have insisted you walk so much yesterday – I could have carried you home after we went canoeing."

"I'll be fine! I think I'd like to just relax here and maybe read for a while." Edward finally relaxed and we spent a pleasant afternoon reading in side-by-side beach chairs.

But now my book was finished. I stretched out my legs one more time and looked over at Edward. He was still "reading" the same book, which I knew meant he was just pretending for my sake. I glanced over at the western hill, thinking perhaps I would humor him after all. But when I saw how far it was, I sighed.

"Are you hungry, love? I'll make you dinner tonight, of course. I don't want you doing any work tonight." He still had a guilty look about him. I bit my lip, thinking. I had made him feel guilty for no reason, and I had done it purposely. I needed to distract him, but I didn't think he'd appreciate the plan _I_ wanted to implement. Something else…

Suddenly I sat up straight. "Edward! We got married five days ago, and guess what we haven't done yet!" I said excitedly.

Immediately his eyes clouded with sorrow. "Bella," he murmured, "We talked about this. I don't feel comfortable-"

I rolled my eyes. "Not _that_. I promise I'll behave the rest of the day. No, it's something else all married people do… come on, guess!"

Edward stared blankly at me for a moment. Then he smiled. "It's not every day that anyone asks_ me_ to guess something." Then he said slowly, "We haven't… balanced our checkbook?" I shook my head. "Cosigned for a loan? Washed our cars?"

I had to admit, seeing Edward Cullen at a loss for answers was priceless. "Nope. We haven't opened out wedding presents yet!" I said triumphantly.

Edward broke into a smile, as well. "You're right. I had completely forgotten we brought them with us." I stood up, intending to walk to the cottage, but before I could take a step, he had scooped me up into his arms. In a flash, we were back in the cottage and he was gently lowering me onto the couch. "Present time for the human and the vampire," he grinned.


	2. Chapter 2

"Rest, Bella," said Edward's voice, but I couldn't see him – as he finished the words he was already in the bedroom, rummaging through the luggage. He reappeared two seconds later with three huge suitcases. Since Alice had only packed one for me, he had the idea of bringing the gifts in several more. "Humans don't travel with one suitcase for two people," he had explained.

He opened the first suitcase. In this one was a pile of cards, as well as a few wrapped gifts. On top of the pile was a note written in Alice's lacy handwriting. "Open Jasper's gift first" was all it said. I picked up the long, thin gift that lay beside it. I carefully ripped open the paper. Although I knew I could trust Edward, there was no need for a repeat of a certain birthday party incident. As I removed the paper, I found a beautiful bronze… knife? It had the Cullen crest on the handle, but a strangely shaped blade. Suddenly I giggled, as I realized it was not a knife, but a letter opener.

Edward's eyes were dark, however. "It's not funny," he muttered. He was clearly remembering Jasper's attack on me as well as the months that followed.

I placed my hand under his chin and waited until he held my gaze. "Relax, Edward… don't you see? If Jasper can joke about it, maybe that means he's finally forgiven himself. This is the way it _should_ be."

"It's no joke," Edward said quietly, dropping his gaze again. "Alice must have written the note because she saw something happen."

"I'll use it if it'll make you feel better. But I trust you. After all, we've survived several mishaps of mine involving blood. Maybe Alice just didn't want us to use up our supply of Band-Aids on the first week." Then I winced. Bringing up my many injuries wasn't going to help Edward relax. I needed to do something to lighten the mood, so I decided to make a game for Edward. "Close your eyes," I ordered.

Edward complied. "What am I supposed to guess now?" he asked.

"Vampire wedding game. You have to identify each card based only on the scent," I said mysteriously. Edward smiled and nodded, sufficiently distracted.

I held up the first card to his nose. "Alice," he said easily.

"Wrong! It's from my mom." I smiled triumphantly, knowing he couldn't see me. I quickly sliced open the envelope with my new letter opener. "She says 'Congratulations, Sweetie. I know I'm not the best for marriage advice, so I'll just say I'm happy for you. I know you'll be a beautiful bride. You and Edward have a happy first year together, and visit soon! Love, Mom and Phil.'"

"That's nice," Edward said, but I could tell he was confused by his error on the scent. I held up the next envelope. "Now _that's_ Alice," he said decidedly.

"No, it's from Angela and Ben." Now _I _was confused. Could a vampire lose his sense of smell?

Suddenly Edward opened his eyes. "Wait a minute. Was Alice the one who packed the presents?"

Realization dawned on me now. "Now that you mention it, I did see her packing away everything while you were changing clothes. In fact, I remember wondering why she was rubbing each card between her hands." We both laughed. Apparently Alice thought she would mess with our card-opening game.

Edward took a deep sniff at the envelope again. "Ah… there's Angela," he laughed.

We spent the next hour reading the cards, alternately smiling and laughing at the advice people had written. My favorite was the often-repeated, "Wishing you many happy years together." I was personally banking on _endless_ happy years together. The last card had Jacob's familiar scrawl on it, so I quickly slid it under the pile of already-opened cards. I doubted Edward wanted to smell that one, so I decided I would open it later... perhaps while Edward was out hunting. Then I slid off the couch into my husband's lap. "The cards are done… you can open your eyes now," I said. I took a soft, bulky package out of the suitcase and gave it to Edward. "Here, you open one first. This one's from Mike."

Edward paused, holding the gift. Seeing my curious look, he grinned. "You know, Bella," he said, "This is actually pretty exciting for me. Usually when I open a gift I have to act surprised. For once, I have a pile of gifts to open, and almost all of them are a mystery to me." I watched his face as he tore the paper off in a flash, but in the blink of an eye his smile was gone and his jaw was clenched in anger.

**A/N This is my first story so please tell me what you think... and let me know if I stray from canon. I don't own the books so I'm going from memory.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I own nothing, Stephanie Meyer owns everything. Also, part of this chapter dips into movie-verse for a bit (AU at that), so all credit is due to the writers and producers of ****_Eclipse_****. Kudos to readers who spot the movie bit!**

What gift could possibly make Edward so angry? I glanced down to see a pile of tangled cloth, mostly hot pink. I looked closer. Was that… leopard print?

"Oh." I could feel my face growing hot already.

Edward could only speak through is teeth. "That disgusting boy got _you_ lingerie for _our_ _wedding_. Of all the despicable, inappropriate-" He stopped talking and an eerie light came into his eyes, the one that always accompanied his murder-Mike fantasies.

"I'm sure Mike wouldn't do that," I said hastily, but then I considered. Would Mike really do that? I mean, maybe Tyler, but Mike? "There has to be some… look, _this_ is from Mike," I was relieved to find a gift certificate to Newton Outfitters under the mess of fabric. "See? You can forgive him now. I'm sure he and Jess just bundled their gifts together. I doubt Mike even owns wrapping paper."

Edward's shoulders relaxed, but he wasn't satisfied. "I might forgive him if I didn't overhear his thoughts at the wedding, Bella." He held up a particularly embarrassing piece of underwear. "_This_ is what he was thinking about. And you in it." He tossed it down in disgust.

"Okay, moving on," I mumbled. The next gift was a big, soft package from Renee, so we both cheered up a bit. I pulled off the paper to reveal a handmade quilt, made of T-shirt scraps sewn together. I felt tears run down my cheeks as I fingered the worn material.

I felt a cold arm slip around me. "What is it, sweetheart?" Edward asked quietly, and I burst into tears. He just rubbed circles on my back until I had composed myself. Still sniffling, I muttered, "I can't wait until I'm incapable of crying." I dried my eyes on the corner of his shirt, which he had offered me.

"No, love. Being able to weep is a gift, not a curse. Now tell me about the quilt." He kissed the last tearstains off my face and I shook the quilt so we could see the whole top surface.

"A few years ago, Renee was just getting over a guy and then she lost her job. She had another one before the year was out, but at the beginning of that summer she traded in her new car for an old RV, and we spent a couple months just seeing the sights. We made a tradition of collecting cheesy T-shirts along the way." I smiled as I ran my hands over the Texas shirts. "She said several times that summer that memories come in all shapes and sizes. I think that may have been my favorite summer growing up," I mused. "After all, hanging around my dad's house wasn't every thirteen-year-old's dream." I smoothed the fabric and then folded it back into the suitcase. "I think that's the biggest project Renee has ever actually finished… I love it," I whispered.

"Then I love it too," Edward decided. Then he frowned. "But why do I smell latex?" he fished around in the crumpled paper until he found a small square package. He gave me a look and cleared his throat to read the attached note. "'Just in case you forgot to plan ahead, sweetie. I'd love to be a grandmother someday, but not yet! Love, Mom'" he read aloud in a bemused tone.

Now I was _really_ blushing. "Um, sorry about that. You know she doesn't think things through sometimes," I said.

"I think it was very thoughtful – she has no way of knowing we don't need it." He tossed it aside and picked up the last gift in the suitcase – a tiny gift bag from Charlie. Inside was a gift card to the local hardware store in Forks.

"Very practical, and thankfully not embarrassing!" I laughed. "Oh! We should be writing down what came from which people, shouldn't we?" Edward smirked and tapped his head with one finger. "Right… who needs lists when you've got a vampire?" I joked.

The second suitcase held another pile of wrapped gifts. Angela and Ben had given us a beautiful plaque with a poem about true love, and the Denalis had put together a his-and-hers bath basket, complete with towels, candles and scented soaps. I noticed that strawberry and freesia were the scents they had chosen. I was touched that Billy and all of Sam's pack had chipped in for another gift card, and it looked like everyone at the police station had done the same thing.

At the bottom of the suitcase was a small rectangular package with familiar pink-and-purple wrapping paper. I smiled as I picked it up. Charlie had been using the same beat-up roll to wrap my birthday presents my whole life. Inside was a framed picture of a six-year-old me standing next to Charlie, who was sporting a huge mustache. I was proudly holding my first fishing pole and had a snaggle-tooth smile.

Edward leaned over my shoulder to inspect the picture. "Isn't this the picture that always hangs in Charlie's upstairs hallway?" he asked. I nodded, fighting tears again. On the back Charlie had stuck a note (he hadn't gotten us a card) which read:

_Although you're starting a new life, you'll always be my little girl. Come by anytime, and Edward too. Love, Dad_

I knew how hard it had been for Charlie to write the note, much less the part about welcoming Edward. I made a mental note to be sure to thank him in person. After all, we would have time for a couple visits before things… changed.

**A/N: Up next, the chapter I've been waiting to write... the Cullen gifts! **


	4. Chapter 4

I started to lay the picture back in the suitcase, but Edward took it from me. He smiled and traced my face in the picture. "I've always loved this picture," he said. "You know, I haven't seen many of your childhood pictures. I hope I can see more sometime. Maybe your mom has some."

I stared at him. Had he heard somebody thinking about my surprise? But no, I hadn't told anyone. I quickly stood up. "Don't move," I ordered, and I ran into the bedroom. Opening my suitcase, I dug to the bottom and removed the one thing_ I_ had packed- a big blue photo album. Of course I had forgotten to wrap it, so I walked back to the living room holding it behind my back. Edward literally hadn't moved- in fact, I don't think he had breathed.

"Okay, you get your wish," I announced, pulling the album out and placing it in his hands. Suddenly I felt a little silly. What did normal brides get their husbands? "I know it's not much of a wedding present," I said," but I thought you might like it." I watched as he opened to the first page and his face broke into a huge grin.

"Bella, this is perfect. I've always wanted to see more of you growing up." He flipped through the entire album in less than three seconds, and then turned back to the first page. At his request, I spent the next half hour telling him the memories that each picture reminded me of. A couple of times his gaze zipped back and forth between the pictures and my own face, and I knew he was noticing each tiny change as I grew older throughout the album. Finally he closed it and pulled me into his arms, giving me a long kiss on the top of my forehead. "Thank you, love," he whispered. Then he suddenly released me and jumped to his feet. "Now _you_ don't move," he said. I decided to hold my breath, too – but he was back in a blink, kneeling on the floor.

In his hands was a large box wrapped in silver paper and tied with a perfect white bow. I took the gift and was surprised at how heavy it was. I couldn't imagine how he had kept this hidden until now. I took the ribbon and began to pull, but then I stopped and glared up at him. "This had better not be anything expensive," I warned. "We agreed no spending money on gifts and we both know _I_ followed the rule."

But he laughed and shook his head. "No, I promised no money would be spent." Then he leaned closer, his eyes twinkling. "But now that we're married, I am _never_ making that promise again!" He grinned mischievously and in a flash, moved away as I tried to punch him in the shoulder. "Now open it. You'll find it complements your gift perfectly."

I made a show of slowly untying the ribbon and pulled the paper away, finding a plain wooden box. Curious, I lifted the lid. Inside were several thin leather volumes, each with a loop of leather binding it shut. I stared blankly for a moment, and then warmth flooded through me as I realized what they were. "Are these…?" suddenly I couldn't find my voice. Could he really be sharing this with me?

Edward nodded, and watched my eyes while he spoke. "Bella, I've told you several things about my past, even the parts I prefer not to remember. I haven't shared many details, though." I immediately recalled what he had told me about his rebellious years, where he had left Carlisle and Esme and explored the darker side of his nature. Would the journals contain anything about that time?

Now Edward's gaze fell to my hands. "Yes," he murmured, answering my unspoken question. "That's in there, too. I didn't carry a journal with me during… those days… but when I returned home I wrote everything that had happened. I want you to know everything about me, Bella, even the details." He looked back up at me with half a smile. "But there are also hundreds of things in there I'm sure you'll enjoy. Our family, for example- we're not always attending high school, after all. There's also a good deal about everyone's personal history, although most of it's about Carlisle."

I smiled back, finally. "Well, he _has_ lived three times longer than most of you." I thumbed through the journals and selected the oldest-looking one, unwinding the leather cord to open it. I saw Edward's familiar script, though it wasn't quite as graceful as usual.

_Father says I should take time each evening to record my thoughts and important happenings of the day. After seeing the rows of neat ledgers in his office, I am resolved to do this faithfully. Today is Christmas, and this journal was his gift to me. This morning, Mother…_

I stared at the page, and then at the date at its head. "Edward, you started these when you were human?" I suddenly felt a new bond with him I hadn't felt before.

He nodded. "This was my Christmas gift in 1916. The only one I remember, at least. I was immediately determined to emulate my father's dedication to journaling. I remember watching him write at his desk for a few minutes every night, when I was small. That's usually when I would go tell him goodnight. After Carlisle changed me, he returned to my parent's house and gathered some family heirlooms as well as my first two journals."

I placed the journal back in the box with the others. "Edward, this is the best gift I could ever receive," I said softly. "I can't wait to read it all. And I would have loved to meet your parents."

He shrugged. "Almost all my 'family' memories are from after those events. And speaking of loved ones," he said, reaching for the last suitcase, "we still have the gifts from my family… _our_ family," he added with emphasis.

With a loud click the suitcase was open, and several gifts were nestled inside, all in the same silver paper Edward had used. I took one out and weighed it in my hands, trying to guess its contents. "I guess you know what these all are, right?"

"Actually, no. With the exception of Rosalie, they all did an admirable job of keeping their thoughts elsewhere. But I imagine they're mostly for you, anyway. " He nodded at the gift I held. "You go first this time."

But I laid it aside, and rummaged through the pile until I found the one marked "from Rosalie". "No, I want to do this one first, so the rest can be a mystery to you." I almost felt bad opening the beautiful gift. Rosalie had tied an exquisite, complicated bow which reflected her own beauty. I carefully slipped it off and tore the paper, expecting a gift of equal beauty. But instead, I found a bright yellow book titled "Auto Repair for Dummies." I was truly taken aback. I had thought Rosalie and I had really made some progress lately. I wouldn't have used the word "friends", but we had finally relaxed around each other recently, between the tough times we had shared and the wedding preparations. So why did she have to deliberately pick out a gift with an insult right on the front cover? I looked up at Edward, expecting to see an angry face, but I was surprised to see that he was smiling.

"I know it doesn't seem like it, but Rosalie actually put a lot of thought into this – that's why I knew about this one. She truly wants to spend some 'sister' time with you, and she decided that when we return, she'd like to begin teaching you some basic vehicle maintenance. She's spent a lot of time wondering how to turn that into a gift, so I suggested a book. After some research, she decided this one has the best 'beginner' language. She was a little worried about the title, but I told her I would explain."

"In that case, I love it. This is probably the right place for me to start, anyway," I admitted sheepishly. I handed Edward a flat, rectangular package from Carlisle. Inside were two anytime tickets to a "reader's tour" of the UK. The pamphlet described a south-to-north bus tour of the restored homes of famous authors, ending with a two-night stay near the castle-like Central Library in Edinburgh. My eyes widened as I saw that the bus stopped at the Jane Austen's House Museum as well as the Chatsworth House in Derbyshire, which the pamphlet claimed was the inspiration for Mr. Darcy's Pemberley. "Wow," was all I managed to squeak out.

Esme's gift contained a landscaping book for Edward and a cookbook for me. I flipped through the pages and noticed the outdated wording in the recipes. "She must have gotten this at an antique store," I said. I turned to the first pages to find the date, but instead I found a pair of handwritten notes.

_To our Esme with love on your wedding day. All our love, Mother and Daddy_

Underneath it, in a different color ink, I recognized Esme's beautiful cursive.

_To my newest daughter, Bella- may this book bring you as much joy as it has brought me. Love, Esme_

Edward read the note over my shoulder and reached over to turn a few pages. "While Esme was still undergoing the change, I stayed with her for a couple of hours while Carlisle ran back into town, and he found her belongings still in the baby's hospital room. This book was one of the few things she had taken with her when she had to leave her husband. She's been using it ever since. Mostly the baking section – she likes to bring things to holiday functions at the hospital, and sometimes she takes cookies to kids there, too. She once told me that once she got past the stench, baking always makes the house feel more like home."

I felt honored that Esme had chosen to give this to me. It's not like she needed the recipes anyway, with her flawless memory, but I appreciated the heritage she was passing on. I flipped through the baking section, finding little handwritten notes next to some. I fanned through the other pages, expecting to see them crisp and unused, but I was surprised to find some notes in some of the other parts. I was touched to find notes like "Try for Bella" or "Bella's favorite" written over some recipes. I gently laid the cookbook back in the suitcase. Although I had never done much baking, I decided that when we returned home, I would spend time learning some cookie recipes with Esme.

Emmet had wrapped a present for each of us. I was a bit nervous as I opened mine, considering all the "honeymoon" jokes Emmett had come up with in the last few weeks. I was surprised, however, to find that my gift was a shoe box. I lifted the lid and saw two shoes – but one was a green flip flop and one was a hiking shoe. In fact, they were both _left_ shoes. I laughed as I remembered all the times he had made fun of my "two left feet". "It's almost thoughtful, really," I mused. "They're actually my size, and I could use another pair of flip flops here."

Edward rolled his eyes. "Almost. Emmett is about as thoughtful as a cactus. And believe me, I would know." He unwrapped his gift, and his eyebrows shot up as he inspected the new video game system. There was a sticky note on top. Emmett had scribbled something about "in case you guys get a place of your own". "On the other hand," Edward said, "maybe he's growing up after all. This system isn't coming out until next year, and I was sure your gift would be something nasty."

I didn't need to read the tag to know the last gift was from Alice – I had gotten clothes from her too many times to not recognize the box. Inside was a tacky Hawaiian shirt for Edward and a matching skirt for me in a gauzy fabric. I lifted the skirt up to look at it more closely, and underneath it was a thick magazine with a woman's face on it. I couldn't read it, though, since the whole thing was in French – but, flipping through it, I could tell it was a hairstyle book from some fancy salon. This was a strange wedding gift, even from Alice. I flipped back to the front and saw now that Alice had written on the front.

_I saw you would run out of books, so I thought you might like to get a jump on picking out your final haircut. I've circled some of my favorites but I PROMISE I will let you pick. Love, Alice_

_P.S. within reason._

_P.P.S. Tell Edward to chill out._

Sure enough, his lips were in a tight line. "She is _not_ helping," he muttered. I chose not to respond. Edward was the _only _member of his family who refused to get excited about my upcoming change- he still had a funereal look every time we discussed it.

"Well,_ I_ think it's a great gift. Any time I get to make fashion decisions without Alice present is a real treat." Suddenly my stomach let out a growl.

"I'm going to make your dinner, love," Edward said after he kissed my cheek. But as he stood up, his knee pushed aside the crumpled paper and we noticed there was one more gift from Alice. We decided to open this last one together, and laughed as we found a green flip flop and a hiking shoe – both for my right feet.

~~~~~The End~~~~~

**A/N: Epilogue to follow- It'll be set 100 years later. It's not fully written yet, so let me know if you have any suggestions!**


	5. Epilogue

**Epilogue – 100 years later**

I was poking around in the attic, looking for a length of chain. After 97 years, we had finally returned this week to the house in Forks, and all of us agreed it already felt like home again. We had spent the last two days shopping, restoring and repainting. My project today was taking out several trees that had grown up in our driveway. This task would normally take me less than an hour, but some of the trees were quite close to the road, and we had to keep up appearances. Edward and Emmett had spent an agonizingly slow morning cutting the trees down, and if I could just find the chains we had stored, I could use the new tractor to pull out the tree stumps in a sufficiently human way.

I thought I saw a metallic glint over in the far right corner, so I pushed aside the old cabinet that was blocking my path. I knelt down, but instead of chains I found a small metal box and I picked it up. Wiping the dust off the top, I realized it was one of many fireproof safes we used for storage. What could be inside this particular one? The tree project forgotten, I carried the box downstairs to find our storage keys.

"Renesmee, we've been through this a thousand times," I heard Edward say. His musical voice was tinged with frustration. "You are _not_ a vampire. Your body has limits. There are things you simply can't do, and painting the entire house exterior in one afternoon is one of them."

I rounded the corner and entered the living room. Edward had been polishing an old wooden end table, and Alice was hanging from the chandelier, painting the parts of the ceiling she could reach from her perch. Our daughter was sprawled on the couch, and Jacob was rubbing her shoulders. She lifted her head up and grinned up at her disapproving father. "But I _did_, didn't I?" She laid her head back down and sighed as her husband gouged under her shoulder blade.

Edward snorted and turned to leave the room. Halfway to the door, though, he paused and spun on his heel, giving Jacob an icy glare. "That is _not_ true, mutt," he said haughtily, answering one of Jacob's thoughts, no doubt. "And you still have some things to learn about being a half-way decent husband." Then he looked up at me. "Is it too late to annul their marriage?"

I ignored the argument, knowing it would blow over. "Does anyone have the storage keys? I'd like to see what's in here," I said, holding up the safe. Jacob reached down to the floor to rummage in his backpack, while still rubbing his wife's back with one hand.

"Here." He tossed me the ring of keys and I tried several before finding the right one. Edward walked over to look inside, curious as well. Inside was a thick stack of greeting cards, tied into a neat package. I broke the string with my fingernail and flipped through the envelopes. Almost all of them said either "Congratulations Edward and Bella" or "Mr. and Mrs. Edward Cullen".

"Oh! These are the cards from our wedding! I wonder why they were up there all these years?" I asked, looking up at my husband.

"When we returned from our honeymoon, they were still in the suitcases with the gifts. Those next few weeks were a little… tense," he said quietly. "I remember Esme unpacking for us. She must have put them up there."

I had very few memories of the pregnancy, and I was usually grateful for this, considering the physical pain I had endured. Now, though, I searched the few memories I did have. I recalled a fuzzy picture of suitcases with presents in them, but not much beyond that. I had no memory whatsoever of opening any cards. Accessing my human memories often felt like looking through a photo album where most of the pictures are either blurry or missing altogether.

Edward and I sat down on the couch to look through the cards. While we were doing this, the front door opened and our "parents" came in. Carlisle had a huge smile on his face. "Good news, everyone," he announced. "You are looking at the new Head of Pediatric Surgery!" Esme leaned in and planted a kiss on his cheek, and everyone offered their congratulations. We knew Carlisle would have no trouble finding a position at the local hospital, but this had been the job he was truly hoping for.

Esme hung up her coat and announced she was going to start dinner for Jacob and Renesmee. Carlisle went back outside help Jasper with some yard work, and Edward and I turned back to the cards, enjoying reading them together. My eyes stung a bit when I saw the one from Renee, and like always, I wished I had the ability to weep. Memories began coming back to me as I read the cards, and visions of people I hadn't thought of in decades flooded my mind.

Edward smiled when he saw the card from our old friends, Ben and Angela Cheney. He held it up for me to see. "Bella, do you remember when we opened the cards? You wouldn't let me see them, and I had to guess who had written each one based on the scent."

There was a giggling sound from the ceiling, and we both looked up. "Of course _some_ people can't mind their own business, and go around pawing other people's belongings," Edward said loudly. Now I was totally lost. What was he talking about? Edward turned to me. "Alice saw our game ahead of time and decided to rub her scent all over every card, just to be annoying," he explained with a smirk.

Alice dropped down onto the floor and darted over to stand in front of us. "I did that only because you had _purposely_ given me a headache the week before by changing your mind about the wedding music… five hundred times in one day! Do you know how distracting it is to hear three different wedding marches in your head, simultaneously?"

Edward barked out a laugh. "I don't deny it," he said smoothly. "But I did that only because you kept harassing Bella about stupid wedding details. I had to get you off the track somehow."

Alice bristled. "Well! If you weren't such a-"

"Alice," murmured Esme from the kitchen. "If you can't leave your brother alone, maybe you should come in here and help me with the salad."

Alice stuck her tongue out at Edward and in a flash, was back in the chandelier, painting as though nothing had happened. In our last school, the two of them had posed as twins, and had recently perfected their sibling banter into an art form. I rolled my eyes and turned back to the cards in my lap.

As I reached the end of the pile, I was surprised to find the last card unopened. This one simply had "Bella" written in a familiar scrawl – Jacob's. I held it up for Edward to see, and I relaxed my shield to ask him a silent question.

_Why didn't we ever open this one?_ I asked, but Edward just shrugged. I glanced over at Jacob and Renesmee, who seemed to be deep in conversation with each other. While they weren't looking at us, I quietly tore the card open and read it silently. One thing I _did_ remember was that Jake had been late to the wedding, and had to be escorted out by the pack because he had gotten angry. After checking to make sure the card didn't hold any offensive comments, I cleared my throat. "Here's your card, Jacob," I said aloud.

Jacob shot a nervous glance at his wife. She knew everything about the history between Jacob and me, but I knew he preferred not to bring it up. Edward nudged me and whispered, "He's trying to remember what he wrote, and he's hoping there's nothing 'mushy' in there, as he calls it."

"It's okay, Jacob," I told my son-in-law. "Approved for all audiences." I proceeded to read the card aloud.

_Sorry I didn't have time to get you a real present. I won't pretend I'm happy about this, but I guess the important thing is that you're happy. So congratulations, and you know you can always call me if you need anything. Jacob_

"That was very nice, Jacob," muttered Edward.

"I know! That was very mature of me, wasn't it?" Jacob said, and then he sighed dramatically. "I never got a thank-you note, you know." Instead he got a pillow in his face, courtesy of Renesmee.


End file.
